All types of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on his health. They infect organs, feed on nutrients necessary for human life and release harmful toxic substances. That’s why it’s so important to get rid of them in a timely manner.
The human body is affected by various parasites, some living inside the body, others on its surface. They differ in size, the way they enter the body, in the characteristics of their vital activity.
What parasites live in the human body? How to get rid of them? What preventive measures are there? These issues will be discussed below.
Classification of parasites
Human parasites are very common, they are divided into groups:
- Endoparasitesthey are called organisms that parasitize in man. This group, in turn, is divided into protozoa (consisting of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest, parasitic in the human body are amoebae, lamblia, trichomonas, toxoplasma. As for worms, here too there is a division into roundworms (nematodes), flatworms and tapeworms.
- Ectoparasites- these are organisms that parasitize on the surface of the human body - lice, ticks, fleas, beetles. In addition to feeding on human blood, they cause great discomfort (bites, tingling, wounds on the skin), and carry quite dangerous diseases: typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.
Unicellular parasites:
- Garden. . . Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. After removing the cysts (parasites have not yet formed, covered with a protective membrane) from the anus of the sick person, they spread to vegetables, fruits and other food products. Through poorly washed hands, stagnant water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, cysts enter the human oral cavity, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they turn into an adult again and multiply again. The result is a vicious circle that will continue until adequate treatment is ensured and hygiene measures are followed. Symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Itching in the anus, skin rash, bronchial asthma may occur. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia and weakening of the immune system. Treatment is performed with antiprotozoal drugs. The dosage is prescribed by a doctor.
- Toxoplasma. . . Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, the person is an indirect host, since the sexual development cycle of the parasite occurs in the animal’s body. The disease is manifested by a prolonged rise in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, and pain in the joints and muscles. Also, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and vision are impaired, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and endocrine system. Complex treatment is prescribed - tetracycline antibiotics and sulfonamides.
- Trichomonas. . . Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of infection by contact is minimal, but it still exists. Symptoms of the disease in women include itching, redness of the genitals, a burning sensation, and a foamy discharge. Men may have difficulty urinating and have discharge. Treatment - drugs against trichomoniasis.
Pinworm is an intestinal parasite
The most famous internal parasites are pinworms. They live in the intestines and cause a disease called enterobiasis. This type of parasite affects not only humans but also monkeys. Risk group - preschool children, according to statistics, enterobiasis is diagnosed in half of children aged 2 to 10 years.
Worms are transmitted from person to person, you can become infected with any objects that the sick person used or handled. The main condition for transferring pinworm eggs is not washing hands after contact, especially before eating. Worms, or their eggs, can be carried by flies and cockroaches.
Pinworms can live only in the intestines, they are especially pleasant in the small intestine, colon and appendix. For mating, the parasites select the ileum, from where the female crawls through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of pinworms in the body are itching in the anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.
Anthelmintics are prescribed to treat enterobiasis. Pinworm prevention is based on hand hygiene. They must be washed after visiting any public place.
Roundworms - roundworms
The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Roundworms live in the human gut, the eggs hatch naturally and then continue their development in the soil, where they remain until they re-enter the human body. Dirty hands and unwashed vegetables and fruits are ways of infecting roundworms. The eggs of roundworms are covered with a shell that does not dissolve in the human stomach and allows roundworms to survive and enter the intestines, where mature individuals develop.
Ascariasis can be asymptomatic for a long time. Then the symptoms appear, which depend on the place and stage of development of the parasite. In the first, migratory phase of ascariasis, the patient is worried about fever, cough with sputum, skin rash, migraine, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen. In the late stage, when the parasite has already entered the intestines, stool disorders are observed (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever may occur). There are painful feelings in the abdomen, sudden weight loss and fatigue.
Wide ribbon
Infection with this parasite comes through fish. This is the middle host of the worm. It is not necessary to eat for the infection, sometimes only contact with the infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle with your hands, knife, board after cutting the fish.
Worms and their larvae are not transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one. Symptoms of infection are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear a month or two after the infection. As a result of the long-term presence of parasites in the human body, pale skin, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness, anemia occur. The treatment is aimed at killing worms. Anthelmintics are used for this.
Beef tapeworm
Beef tapeworm can grow up to 12 m. It is a hermaphrodite that can produce over 100, 000 eggs that are excreted in the feces. Eggs fall into the ground, then onto the plants, and those plants are eaten by cattle. In the animal's body, the eggs become larvae that localize in the muscles. If a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae enter the intestines. The larvae are not transmitted from person to person.
Adult worms have a head with four suction cups, a neck and a body consisting of segments. The number of segments is constantly growing, mature segments can separate from the worm and crawl out of the human gut.
Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of uncertain location, allergies, oscillations of appetite.
In order to remove bovine tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of 3 phases: preparatory (cleansing of the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs, recovery (diet, herbal medicines).
Pork tapeworm
A person becomes infected with swine tapeworm with dirty hands, poorly cooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can vomit segments and larvae of tapeworm into the environment with vomiting and feces.
The worm can live in the human body for up to 15-17 years, sticks to the intestinal mucosa, and its larvae can spread through the body through the bloodstream and attach to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larva enters the brain.
Pigs are the middle host; people who have frequent contact with raw meat are most at risk of contracting this parasite. The pork chain can be infected by contact and eating insufficiently heat-treated meat. In order to destroy all the larvae of pork tapeworm in the meat, the meat must be cooked or frozen for 2-3 weeks.
Swine tapeworm can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, visual organs, muscles, etc. If the tapeworm affects vital organs, then the person may experience paralysis or even death.
Symptoms of swine tapeworm: occurrence of allergic reactions, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, weakness, dizziness, headache, weight loss, itching in the anus. The worm infects the intestinal mucosa, so the symptoms are very similar to enteritis.
Treatment consists of taking drugs that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, as a result of which it cannot remain on the intestinal walls and outlets. But at the same time it emits a large amount of toxic substances, which can cause anaphylactic shock in a person. Therefore, treatment should be carried out only under the supervision of a physician.
Parasites in the mouth
Parasites in the human mouth can most often be represented by the following types:
- trichomonas;
- oral amoeba;
- Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).
The clinical picture can be as follows:
- allergies;
- weakness, weight loss;
- foul odor from the mouth;
- feeling of mixing in the larynx;
- itching and sweating;
- nausea, loss of strength.
Worms that live in the mouth can destroy teeth, create purulent deposits on the mucous membranes and tongue. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor who takes into account the existing symptoms as well as the types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is an examination of all people who are in contact with the patient.
Summarizing
Above, not all, even the most common parasites that can live in the human body are considered. It is important to understand the great danger of this neighborhood: worms in humans can cause very serious consequences and ultimately cause the death of their owner. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose parasites in a timely manner and get rid of them. As for preventive measures, they mainly consist of hygiene and high-quality frying of eaten meat.